Ascend Communications, the new owner of Stratus Computer, which employs 350 people at the computer manufacturing plant in Blanchard stown, Co Dublin, expects to more than double the workforce over five years by establishing its international operations headquarters there. Mr Eoin O'Driscoll, the former manager director of Stratus Ireland who was appointed Ascend's vice-president of international operations on Tuesday, said that negotiations were ongoing with IDA Ireland on expanding the plant's product base in telecommunications software and fault-tolerent technology. "Right now we have about 33 people in Dublin whose task is to go forward and build up Ascend's business at the existing location," he said.

Shareholder approval from Stratus for the $822 million (£540.6 million) stock-for-stock deal was received on Monday. Ascend is a California-based telecommunications carrier and Internet service provider.

Mr O'Driscoll said that the expectation was that three of Ascend's product lines would be added to the plant's existing products which are used in telecommunications and in "enterprise computing" which includes applications for financial services, gaming, banking and stock markets.